The Sanctuary of Rain
by TheKanta
Summary: "I've finally found my footing. I am learning how to walk again, step by step," Shinganshina's rainy season was approaching, and Eren found himself falling into a routine. Whenever the sun hid behind dark rain clouds, he'd visit a special garden, one that always seemed to be accompanied by a mysterious man.
1. The Garden

**Inspired by Kotonoha no Niwa**

* * *

"_A faint clap of thunder_

_clouded skies_

_Perhaps rain comes_

_if so_

_will you stay here with me?"_

* * *

The air was wet and laced with slowly falling raindrops, the forecast never called for rain, but it was a nice surprise for Eren, as rain was his favourite weather. The soft patter of water droplets, hitting against the sidewalk or spraying over tree leaves was relaxing, soothing even. Sometimes a crack of thunder would wake him out of his morning eerie. It was all enjoyable in his eyes.

Often, on rainy mornings, instead of transferring to the subway to catch the train to his educators, Eren exited out of the station gate, His deep green umbrella popped open and hovering over his head. It was only days like those, the sky falling down in the form of water, filling his senses of the scent he adored, that the male let himself miss his first class of the day to take refuge under a wooden gazebo.

The walk there was short, some water managed to flick at the bottom of his uniform pants, but it never bothered him. Eren only hummed lightly to himself, switching the weight of his heavy backpack to the other shoulder while walking into the flourished park.

The male glanced down to his feet as he walked over the dark wood bridge, crossing over a small pond. His gaze was set on the shoes; a pair which he made. The chocolate brown leather was tied together at the front of his foot with a matching, maybe slightly lighter, tone lace. They were not fancy in any way, but they were the first pair he made by hand, and he cherished the fact that they sustained through the wet weather.

The rain was making a song against the material of his umbrella when he stopped to take in the beautiful scenery.

Eren knew that he would never walk through that park and not gape at its beauty. All the flourished bushes, plump with crisp green leaves, and trees that shielded the entire park from the sun, which would have been out if it were not raining. And though he shivered a bit, the scene made him warm.

His shoes squelched against the wooden bridge, then on the dirt path- which was becoming muddy -as he continued on walking. Admiring could be done later, maybe he'd come back yet another time.

The rain didn't hit his umbrella as much as before, the soft tune of droplets hitting the surface of the plastic shield had become dim and slowly faded away. The trees blocked most of the rain, of course, not all of it.

He could hear the sound of his wet footsteps, the chirping of happy morning birds, and the not so quiet sounds of water droplets exploding against green leaves, as he walked deeper into the park. It wouldn't have taken too long to have gotten to the pine-wood gazebo which was placed in the midst of trees, bushes, and premature, yet still beautiful flowers, if it weren't for Eren's slow pace he set.

When he was a few feet away from the gazebo, Eren noticed a pair of shoes pass by him, since his eyes were trailing the ground for puddles and what not. They were sleek, well polished and pristine looking pair of office shoes. Whoever wore them must have been well put together, a business man of sorts. Eren only got the sight of the back of the mans head, though, when he looked up and behind his shoulder. He had a short structure, black hair that fell over an undercut, and from the looks of it- black dress pants with a white shirt. The student found himself wondering if the man had just come from his special gazebo- though it wasn't really his -or if he had walked further down the trail to the clearing by the pond.

_Ah_, Eren thought to himself while walking under the coverage of the wooden structure, _It shouldn't matter._

His umbrella made a wet sound, like soaked fabric rubbing against fabric, when he clicked it shut and rested it against the Pine bench situated under the hood of the gazebo. The wood was decorated in leaves and flowers, the roof of the structure was covered in luscious green plants. It looked nice, comforting even. Eren enjoyed it.

The air felt moist in his lungs when Eren sucked in a breath then sat down onto the dry bench, setting his backpack down next to him.

The setting was tranquil, it gave him a chance to breathe freely, work in the soothing home of nature as the rain soaked the world around him.

He gave himself an hour to sit there with his sketch pad, drawing out designs for a pair of men's shoes. When the hour was up, he collected all of his things then walked back to the subway, to catch a ride to his high school.

* * *

"_I've finally found my footing. I am learning how to walk again, step by step,"_

"_You mean your job?"_

"_Partially,"_

"_Then what?"_

"_Don't think too hard about it, brat,"_

* * *

It rained again a week later, and Eren found himself under the coverage of the gazebo with a strangers company. The wind broke through the silent air between the two, bringing a slightly wet breeze through eren's hair. It didn't damage his sketch book so he was alright with it.

He was drawing feet, sketches of a sleek pair of mens shoes that he was designing, and hopefully would make in the near feature. The new project excited him, but he had no one to make the shoes for. _Maybe Armin, he could use a new pair…_

And yet, his gaze wandered from the page and landed on those black leather shoes, the one that belonged to the stranger his eyes rested upon just a week prior. What a coincidence, really, seeing him there again.

The mans shoes looked a bit worn down, even though it had only been a week since Eren saw its pristine shape last.

The dark pant leg was lifted a few centimetres up the stranger's leg, giving a prominent view to the shoes, and a small flash of milky white skin. His legs were crossed, professionally and very neat looking. The whole man had a neat demeanor, or so Eren thought. Because when his gaze finally landed on what the man was holding, and the bag which was beside him, the student saw just how very un-neat the entirety of the situation was.

_Wine and… dark chocolate? What kind of a snack is that… nevermind I guess._

Eren's gaze returned to his book and he kept sketching out feet, and not yet perfect designs for a pair of shoes. He definitely heard the slosh of liquid being guzzled out of a bottle, but there were so slurps or satisfied 'ah's, so it didn't get on his nerves. Chocolate broke between the man's teeth after downing half of the wine bottle, and Eren couldn't help but think of how unhealthy that diet would be for the man, who somehow looked very muscular even with the black blazer on.

The rain dripped on, falling thicker by the minute. Maybe a storm was near, or maybe mother nature was just happy. Rain was a happy thing anyways, in Eren's eyes of course.

Leaves rustled against each other, the branches coming to life in the slight wind. June was starting in two weeks, so the start of Shinganshina's rainy season was just around the corner. It promised more visits to the quaint gazebo, more time to sketch, think about his future in shoe making. That's all he wanted, a future in making shoes, by hand.

A droplet of water whipped onto his page as the wind picked up even more, and it blotched the sketched out foot, making the led of his pencil markings blur into something undefinable. Maybe it could be classified as a dark storm cloud, if you thought about it. Of course, Eren didn't, he only sighed and closed his sketch book. It was time to leave anyways.

When the student looked up, he was shocked to see that the man that was sitting on the other end of the bench was gone, along with all of his things. He must've left when Eren was sketching, because the boy didn't remember hearing the stranger collect his things and go. How strange.

His thoughts remained on that man all day, wondering who he was or even what he did as an occupation. Eren found himself very curious about the mysterious stranger, that he didn't even pay attention in class when he finally made it to school.

By the end of the day, after classes ended and he took the subway home, Eren came to the conclusion that maybe, the man wasn't someone he should reckon with. Drinking wine, nibbling on dark chocolate without a single word, it was just strange and off putting. The dark haired man hadn't even glanced at Eren when he sat down on the opposite side of the bench, didn't utter a single 'hello'.

The next time it rained, it was the last day of May. The birds were squawking in their nests, trying to take coverage from the light downfall of rain. It was barely drizzling, but it was an excuse to head to the gazebo again, so Eren took the opportunity.

He exited out of the station gate, popped open his forest green umbrella and began walking to the nice park he visited on days where the sky fell.

The rain wasn't enough for the need of an umbrella, but it was habit and holding something so weightless was comforting. Eren truly thought the rain would let up before he even got to the gazebo, but he was alright with that. It meant no more splotches of wet on his sketch book.

Eren hummed to himself as he payed the five cent toll to get into the park, and happily began walking down the familiar path. He was almost to the wooden gazebo when he heard music go off from his bag; his phone was ringing. Though, who it could be was a mystery to him. All the contacts on his phone had the same ringtone, it wasn't very convenient but, alas.

The student managed to reach into his bag which was now only hanging off of one shoulder, and grab his phone whilst still walking and holding the umbrella.

"Hello?" He inquired once the cold phone rested against his ear and cheek. "Eren, where are you? I lost you in the subway.." The voice was very familiar to him, and it caused him to sigh silently to himself. "Why aren't you at school?"

"I'll be there for second period Mikasa," He kept on walking down the path to the gazebo. "Alright. I'll cover for you. You're lucky Mr. Pixis isn't strict," Eren knew the girl on the other end of the line wasn't too pleased, but she was still helping him out, so it was alright.

"Thanks Mika. I'll see you later, bye," His goodbye echoed from the other end before he pulled the phone from his ear and pressed end call.

That's when the student noticed he was standing right in front of the gazebo, which was being occupied by that very same raven haired, strange man. The one he saw two times before. Did he always visit that place?

"Are you going to stare all day, brat?" The words shocked him. The mans voice was very deep and smooth sounding, depside the empty wine bottle he had next to his crossed legs. Eren hadn't even noticed that he had been staring. He must have gotten little sleep, yeah, that was it.

Actually, now that he thought about it, the man wasn't even glancing at Eren. How the hell did he know he was staring? So weird..

"N-No.. my apologies, sir," The student said quickly before he closed his umbrella and sat down on the bench, far from the stranger.

There was no other response from the man, so Eren just shrugged it off and took out his sketchbook and pencils.

Sounds of a pencil scratching against paper and liquid swirling around a glass bottle filled the air between them. Birds did have their share of noise making with their chirps. It was all relaxing, somehow. In the presence of that strange man, Eren found himself calm.

It was when he heard another bottle being open that Eren looked up from his book and to the man, whom was facing away from him. "How many have you had?" It obviously wasn't healthy for him to have so much to drink, with only dark chocolate as a food substinance.

"That isn't any of your business, brat," The man replied without gazing over to Eren. He only carefully unwrapped another bar of chocolate and took a small bite after taking a swig of alcohol.

"It's unhealthy, you know. To drink so much and only have chocolate. It'll ruin your stomach," The stranger scoffed and set the bottle down next to his thigh.

"You know a lot about alcohol for just a kid," He only rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers against the notebook resting on his knees. "It's my dad, he's the drinker, so I know a bit about it,"

The man grunted in response, and stopped drinking for a while. Eren had thought that he'd taken his advice, but ten minutes later the swishing sound of liquid being drained from a bottle filled the air. The stranger had drunk once again.

"You're a student, correct?" Eren glanced back up once he heard the low voice of the other person, and smiled a bit. "Yeah, I am. Second year,"

"Then why aren't you in school?" He sounded bored about talking to him, like the world was just dull and everything was a bother. It was a tone of voice Eren certainly was not used to, everyone he knew was so full of life but this man…

He seemed like a rag doll, unable to stand and walk on his own, to see the true beauty of the world.


	2. June

_"When I was little, the sky was closer_

_so much closer_

_That's why I liked the rain, as with it comes the smell of the sky,"_

* * *

"It's raining," Eren heard footsteps getting closer to the kitchen, bare feet sticking to the hardwood while he chopped up some vegetables. It was morning, and it was indeed raining.

The water was gathering on the outside of the kitchen's windowsill, rolling down the glass and serving as something the stare at while he wasn't chopping up vegetables into long strips. He was going to make some sushi rolls, a regular he made on early, tiring mornings.

"So it is," He replied to Mikasa with a soft smile, rainy mornings were absolutely his favourite thing. The girl, however, did not smile fondly at the idea. "You're going to that place again, I assume?" The boy chuckled at his sister's accusation, was he really that obvious?

"Yeah, I am. Are you going to cover for me again?" The girl sighed a bit and leaned against the other side of the counter, watching as Eren made their lunch. Her brows were furrowed, making her forehead crease unappealingly.

"I don't know if I should anymore, Mr. Pixis will start hinting in to what you're doing, maybe you should just go to school," Eren let his green eyes flick over to the side in a dramatic eye roll. The situation called for it, anyways.

"I do go, just after first period. Plus, it's only on rainy days Mika, that isn't often enough," He dumped some rice into a pot of boiling water, letting it cook whilst he glance at the other. She didn't look too pleased. "Shinganshina's rainy season is starting in a few weeks, you know. So it will be often," That was shocking news to Eren, he hadn't known about that.

_So the rainy season really is that close_, he thought to himself as a smile tugged at his lips. The idea really didn't disgruntle him, he rather enjoyed his mornings under the gazebo. Even if it did come with a strange man with weird eating and drinking habits. "As long as I hand in my assignments, Mr. Pixis really doesn't seem to mind,"

"You could get into trouble," Mikasa had her arms crossed over her chest in what could be compared to a scolding mothers' stance. "Mikasa, honestly, what's the worse that could happen? The school will call dad? Really, he has enough on his hands to even think twice about it. It's fine," His dad, actually, had barely nothing on his hands. He only busied himself with unconventional things, didn't work anymore, and left it all to the kids. They both understood, though.

There was a sigh, several seconds passed, and Eren knew he had won "Alright,"

"Good,"

"Don't get sick,"

"Yeah, yeah,"

* * *

Instead of taking the subway to school Eren, as usual during those wet days, left the station gate with his umbrella at the ready. It was all becoming a routine, a very comfortable routine he was getting used to well.

He was not expecting any calls, but he had his phone in the pocket of his gray uniform pants, listening to music that fit the weather: Calm, soothing. It wasn't what he regularly listened to, but it felt right.

The umbrella twirled over his head as he spun it between both hands, receiving a glare from some unfortunate person who happened to walk by him and got wet with the water that had collected at the top of Eren's umbrella. He blamed his fidgety hands that always had to be doing something.

He found himself wondering if that man would be there once again, drinking wine and chewing on dark chocolate. Maybe the stranger would bring an actual suitable lunch, forget the chocolate, and maybe just have one wine. Because honestly, Eren knew it wasn't his business, but that man could meet an early grave with the diet he was clinging to.

As the trees started to surround him, blocking off some rain, Eren thought that maybe he could share the box lunch he prepared. It wouldn't hurt to hand over his lunch for one day, and substitute it for cafeteria food once he got to school. But… the man wouldn't accept it, would he? He'd have to see.

The man wasn't there when Eren got to the wooden coverage. _Maybe he went to work.._

Which would have been a good thing, since skipping work could get him fired. Eren was thinking too deeply about the situation, so he decided to let it all go.

He let any thoughts of the stranger slip away from his mind as he sat down and took out his sketch book. His main focus had to be on the shoe designing, and it was a success for a bit, he covered the page with different designs. Though, they all had the sleekness of the dark leather in common. It was strange, Eren never really designed any shoes of the sort.

It might have been ten minutes, or maybe five even, but the sounds of footsteps squelching on the wet ground filled Eren's ears. The sound got closer and closer, until the boy decided to glance up.

It was him, it was the stranger.

He was wearing his hair in the same way he usually did, a cleanly shaved under cut, the black strands parted neatly in the center of his head. A long, dark jacket hung around his shoulders, making the ironed white dress shirt the man was wearing almost invisible from sight. Regular black slacks were accompanied by those black dress shoes, that were starting to look scoffed. Which was strange, because everything else about the man seemed so clean and put together. But his shoes.. were ruining.

They didn't meet eyes, they never once made eye contact but Eren knew the stranger understood he was looking at him.

"I see you're still skipping school," The man said, his tone sounded unimpressed. "I see you're still skipping work," Eren replied then glanced back down at his drawings of the sleek dress shoes he was planning out.

There was no reply, as the stranger sat down where he usually did and popped open a bottle of wine, lifting it to his lips and took a long swig.

The boy tapped his pencil on his sketch book for a few seconds before he set it to his side and grabbed his backpack. The man didn't bring any healthy food yet again, and Eren didn't know why he bothered to notice, but he did. "Here,"

He took out the boxed lunch he made that morning, while his sister was speaking with him, and held it out to the stranger. The man glanced over, his eyes glaring sharply at what was in Eren's hands before he snapped his gaze away once more. "What's that for, brat?"

"My name's Eren," The boy insisted and kept holding out the lunch. "And I want you to take my lunch, it's unhealthy to eat like that,"

"You're still a brat," He paused, took a sip of wine then scoffed a bit. "Keep your damned lunch, kid. Worry about yourself," The man was sharp, to the point, and left no room for arguments. Eren's shoulders slumped forwards slightly as he sighed, placing the lunch back into his bag. That's what he got for trying to be nice to a stranger.

"Can you at least tell me your name? I told you mine,"

"No," Chocolate broke between those pearly white teeth after he spoke. Wine soon followed the chocolate.

Silence rose between them. They exchanged no words, only allowing the falling rain to sooth the quiet. But it was alright. Eren was busy with his shoe designs. And the man was just drinking and contemplating. Or, that's what Eren assumed.

The man left a while later, and Eren went back to school earlier than usual.

It rained again the next day, the boy prepared an extra lunch, much to the confusion of his sister. "Why are you making three lunches? Are you bringing Armin one?"

"No. He doesn't like fish, remember?" Mikasa hummed in response and grabbed herself a glass of water. "Then why did you make a third lunch?

"I'm feeling extra hungry..," His right ear was pinched between two fingers a second later, they were red with dishonestly.

"You're ears are red Eren that-,"

"-That means I'm lying, Yeah, I know Mika..," The girl let go of Eren's ear and took her lunch with another responsive hum.

"I'm assuming you are giving it to someone... But we're going to miss the train if we don't hurry up, so we'll talk at lunch, alright?" The boy agreed and packed away both his lunches.

He almost missed the subway, but thankfully caught it last minute.

"It's salmon and tuna rolls," Eren explained with a friendly smile. He was standing in front of that strange man, who was turned away from him like he didn't care. Maybe he didn't, but Eren didn't mind. "What's your point, kid?" He tilted his head back, black strands of hair falling away from his face as he took a sip of wine. It was a French brand, from what Eren could tell from the label.

"My point is, take the lunch," It took an extra half hour to prepare a second lunch, as well as a bunch of nagging from Mikasa. If the man didn't take the lunch, all his troubles would be for nothing.

"No,"

"Take it,"

"No,"

"What the hell, just take the damn lunch,"

"Watch your tongue, brat," Eren huffed a bit as he trudged over to his spot on the bench, making sure not to sit down on his book and pencils. What was that man's problem.. he was trying to be nice and give him a proper lunch, since it was better than that life shortening diet he had.

A few drops of water hit Eren's face as he sat there, sulking. The wind was picking slightly, but it didn't bother him much, just cooled down his angered cheeks. Though, when a clash of thunder rang through the sky, it certainly brought him out of his childish fit. His arms uncrossed as he glanced towards the pond which was being shielded from view by bushes and tree leaves. The rain began to pour down in larger drops, splashing the roof of the gazebo loudly.

"Your bad mood brought the storm," Eren mumbled, his gaze dragging back to the man. "Tch, the storm only started to stop your stupid pouting," The stranger retorted.

The student rolled his eyes as thunder clashed in the air, making a crackling boom. "It did not,"

Five days passed, and it did not rain once. It saddened Eren, to a great extent.

School was boring, his focus was everywhere but his work. He thought about those shoes he was designing. And, you see, that was the problem. He was only designing them. Eren really strived to create them into an actual pair of functional shoes, but he needed someone to make them for. Armin just didn't seem to fit the style of sleek black leather shoes. They just were not designed for a study busy high school student.

"-Eren?"

His eyes widened for a split second and he glanced to the student taking up the desk next to his own; a blond kid with a bowl haircut and a slightly worried look upon his face. His name was Armin. "I've been trying to get your attention for over a minute now. Are you okay?"

Eren sighed silently to himself and nodded a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine. Is our teacher here?"

Armin shook his head with a slight frown. Ever since the beginning of the semester, their real teacher never showed up, so a supply teacher was always teaching them. "No, I can't believe he hasn't been fired yet. But, I suppose he and the principal might be in contact,"

"Mr. Erwin should just fire our actual teacher. This is shit, and I don't even care about literature and English,"

"Eren, you skip school as well, so you shouldn't talk," The brunette's eyebrows raised and he tapped his pencil on the oak wood desk with another sigh. "You know too?"

"Mikasa told me,"

"Of course,"

"Where do you even go anyways?"

Eren didn't get to reply, because the principal himself walked into the room, apparently to serve as their supply. They were all out of available supplies, Eren assumed.

* * *

The first day of Shinganshina's rainy season arrived five days earlier than predicted, and it came to Eren's joy. He woke up to the alarm on his phone one morning, glanced out his bedroom window and perked up at the sight of rain.

_Finally._

It was an early Wednesday, the downpour wasn't light, though it wasn't too bad. Eren made lunch for Mikasa and himself with an happy hum. He chopped up some vegetables, to make some simple sushi rolls since the day was still young and Eren was a bit tired.

He made a third lunch, just in case.

The lunches were made, his packed into his bag along with his books and designing supplies.

He got off of the train and did as usually did whilst it rained, and headed to the park.

The tree leaves and bushes looked a healthy, deep green as he walked the pathway and over the wooden bridge. He wasn't in too much of a rush, so his eyes did wander a bit more than usual.

Many lilypads decorated the pond, the pink flowers adorn the camel foot shaped leaves were being soaked with droplets of water, but it somehow made it more beautiful.

Flower bulbs were attached to more flower stems, the whole park should be covered in flowers by the time the rainy season ended. The park would look gorgeous, more so than it already was.

Eren continued to walk the pathway to the gazebo after he admired the work of mother nature, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. People who called rain gloomy, were wrong. Rain brought beauty, that was how Eren saw it.

When Eren finally stepped under the familiar wooden structure, his umbrella was soaked, as well as the ends of his gray uniform pants. They would dry though, so it was okay. He shut his umbrella, and placed it as well as his bag, on the bench.

"Hello," Eren greeted the man who was sitting, facing away from the boy's side of the bench. He only got a grunt in response, but it was good enough for him. "Are you hungry?" The student cocked his head to the side as he sat down and took out his sketch pad.

"You're trying to feed me again, brat?

"I told you my name is Eren, and yeah, I am," The man shook his head and scoffed. "I told you no the other two times, what makes you think I'll change my mind?"

"Third time's the charm?

"You're ridiculous,"

They both didn't say anything else, leaving each other to their own devices. Eren was looking over his sketches, occasionally glancing at the strangers foot for reference. While the man did as he usually did, sat there drinking some wine and eating dark chocolate.

"Oi, Brat," It was ten minutes before Eren was going to leave, and the sound of the mans low voice filled the air.

"It's Eren," The boy insisted as he glanced up. "What do you want?"

The man paused for a few moments, setting down his bottle of wine next to his thigh. He then turned, his sharp gaze meeting Eren's.

Eren didn't think much about them at first, but the more he looked into those steel gray eyes, the more he wondered who exactly that man was. "Give me your stupid lunch," The grin that spread across Eren's face could have blinded someone, and he nodded quickly.

He looked through his bag, but only found one lunch, which was strange because he specifically remembered making two.

_Oh, Shit._

He accidentally put the second lunch in Mikasa's bag, most likely. He sighed and glanced back up to the stranger, meeting his sharp gaze. "Alright, sir. But we're gonna share, because I'm hungry too,"

"Tch" The man's facial expression went unchanged, but Eren knew he was alright with it. So he took out his lunch and scooted closer to the man, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bench.

They shared Eren's box lunch which was full of vegetable sushi, laid upon a bed of lettuce and rice. It was good, Eren was proud of his cooking, though the man never really commented on it.

The rain let up, Eren ate the last sushi then packed away his things. "We always seem to be here on the same days,"

"It seems so, doesn't it?,"

"I only come when it rains," Eren grabbed his umbrella and was about to stand, to leave. But, before he had the chance to go, the man stood up and glanced to Eren, his steel eyes cutting off the boys train of thought.

The grays were swirling, like the storm clouds that would blotch the sky on rainy days. No wonder the man never wanted to make eye contact with Eren, all of his emotion pooled in those stormy orbs. It was vulnerability.

"Maybe it's fitting,"

"Huh?" The student cocked his head to the side, brown hair sweeping to one side of his forehead in confusion.

"A faint clap of thunder, clouded skies; Perhaps rain comes – if so, will you stay here with me?"

The man recited the words from memory, each syllable rolling off his tongue as if they were the only words he knew. It had Eren speechless, he couldn't even stop this mysterious man from popping open his gray umbrella, and walking away from the gazebo.

What did that all even mean? Was it just some spiel he thought of while tipsy off of wine? He didn't seem to stutter though… The words seemed too perfected to be made up on the spot. Eren would have to ask Mikasa, maybe she would know what the Tanka meant.

_Will you stay here with me?..._


	3. Routine

_"In the evenings, before I went to sleep_

_and in the mornings, in the moment I woke up_

_I realized I was praying for rain."_

* * *

He was sitting in his living room, the voices coming from the television filling the empty silence. It was just another evening, he had just gotten back from school and decided to smoothen out the texture of a pair of wooden shoes. Eren didn't really see the use of making wooden shoes, since he definitely was no clogger. But, his hands had made them before his mind could catch up.

Maybe he could stick dirt into them and use them as decorative flower pots. That was an idea. That was a great idea, actually.

The front door clicked open out of the blue and was shut quietly behind who ever had just walked in. It couldn't have been His father, because the door was always closed heavily when he got home, the man's footsteps were loud as well. So it had to be Mikasa.

"Mikasa?" Eren called out, not taking his eyes off of the sandpaper he was running over the wood. It was looking pretty alright, the wood was getting smooth and without splinters.

Several seconds passed before the raven haired female walked into the living room and glanced to the television. "The weather?"

Eren did have the weather network on, but he wasn't really paying attention after it said a ninety percent chance of rain for the next day.

"Yeah," His voice was distant, he was thinking, though not about what he was doing. Eren was thinking about that beautiful garden he visited during the rain, of the birds that chirped happily and the blossoming flower buds that filled the trees and grass with colour. But, there was also another thing that was taking up his thoughts; that man. He shook his head and rid of those thoughts, focusing his attention on the wooden clogs he was sanding.

"You never told me exactly why you go to that garden, where it is, and why you bring two lunches," She sat down next to Eren, their knees touching. "It's not important," Eren dismissed with a small shrug. It wasn't that he had anything to hide, but Eren felt like that gazebo wasn't something to talk about outside of the park, it wasn't anyone else's business. It was only his, and whomever sat with him there.

Of course, Mikasa would never settle with just that answer, so the boy changed the subject. "Hey, do you know what this means?" He set down what he was doing then took a piece of folded paper from his pocket. Eren had written down that tanka the man spoke to him in his sketchbook. So he wouldn't forget.

The girl unfolded the paper then pinched it between two fingers, reading what it said. "This is a tanka, correct?" Eren nodded with an affirmative hum. "I don't know what it means actually.. maybe you could ask Armin tomorrow? Or Grisha when he comes home,"

"Isn't dad at the bar his girlfriend works at?" If so, it wouldn't come as a shock to Eren "Yes.. he said he is going to stay with her for a few days," Mikasa pursed her lips and tugged the scarf she was wearing up to her nose. The boy knew then that she wasn't telling him something.

"Why? He never does that unless he's upset,"

"I told him about Annie,"

"Oh…,"

Annie Leonhardt was their upperclassman, she was in the third year at their high school and just so happened to have caught interest in first year Mikasa.

"He'll come back in a few days," Eren grunted in response then went back to sanding his shoes.

"I'm going to stay at annie's until then, actually," That made Eren bite his cheek. He'd be alone, huh? That was fine, it was okay. He was very well acquainted with it. "Have fun, then,"

"Don't forget to feed yourself,"

"I'm not a little kid Mikasa!" He huffed out a breath and went back to sanding his shoes. "Plus, I'm the one who makes the meals regularly. You should worry about yourself..,"

The girl bumped shoulders with him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Stop pouting. I'm leaving in an hour, though. Is that okay?"

"It's fine,"

As promised, the girl left the house with a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, just an hour afterwards. And, Eren was alone. The empty sounds felt eerie to his ears, even when he turned on some music from his phone. He moved onto scratching ideas down onto paper with his pencil, how he would go about making those shoe's he had been designing. Everything was planned, sketched out and ready, except for the measurements. He needed a size to make them in..

Eren knew he could have made the shoes in his size, but that didn't seem to sit well with him. He wanted to make them for someone.. he really did. Plus, black leather shoes just wasn't something he wore.

After the sun sunk below the horizon, the sky began to fall to the ground in the form of water once again.

It was a soothing sound to fall asleep to, and even more soothing to wake up to.

Eren climbed out of his bed after shutting off his phone alarm and glanced out of the window. Rain was dripping down the glass, condensation making the outside world blurry. _Rain.. this means I'll get the go there again.._

A soft smile pulled at his lips as he padded over to the kitchen to make himself breakfast (after changing into his school uniform) and some lunch for later. _I wonder if he'll be there.._

He stopped pushing around the scrambled eggs around in his pan when he thought of that. Why did he keep on thinking of that man… why did his thoughts of that garden seem to always correlate with that stranger. Maybe it was just routine. He was a creature of routine, and that raven haired man threaded his way into Eren's order, simply by sitting on that bench. Of course, that was it. Routine.

Before the eggs had the chance to burn, Eren focused his attention back to his cooking, and turned off the burner. They weren't as fluffy as usual, because of his mild zoning out, but they didn't taste bad when he began to eat them.

There was no rustling in the other room, signifying that Mikasa had woken up, truly; he was alone.

Eren sighed over the last forkful of egg before he ate it, finishing his small breakfast. Lunch was made not even minutes later. He just made two jelly sandwiches. One for himself and the other for.. that man. That was, of course, part of the routine. To make the extra lunch.

He packed his bag, stuffed the two lunches inside along with his books and sketchpad, then pulled on his home made shoes. Not the wooden ones- of course. Those wouldn't sustain through the rainy weather.

As soon as he was outside, Eren popped open his umbrella and began to walk to the train station, his shoes squelching against the rain soaked pavement.

The rain sustained through his ride on the train, even through his walk to the garden. It was a nice patter, but it eventually got distant the further under the tree coverage he went.

"Hello," Eren greeted the man once he stepped under the wooden structure. He was there again, the stranger was there sipping his wine.

There was a pause, then a short grunt, but the man actually responded. "Good morning,"

Eren's lips twitched up into a soft smile as he set his slightly wet bag down onto the bench. "I made sandwiches, do you want one?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" The student took it as an immediate yes, so he took out the two containers and sat down a bit closer to the stranger. He left a respectable amount of space between them, though. "Hm, not really. Here," Eren handed the man a container, after he set the wine bottle next to his thigh.

"Tch..," The raven haired man took Eren's offering and opened the lid with slight hesitation- that didn't go unnoticed by Eren. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers, brat, let alone offer them food? Honestly..,"

"Well...," He paused for a few moments and scratched his cheek in thought. "She did tell me not to talk to strangers but never said anything about offering them food, so it's okay,"

The man grunted disapprovingly then took a small bite out of the sandwich. It looked like he was trying to keep clean. "Is it good?" Eren questioned over a bite of his own sandwich, crumbs falling onto his lap. "No,"

"What, seriously?" His shoulders slumped forwards slightly in disappointment. He really thought his cooking was okay..

"Shit, don't look like I just kicked your fucking puppy,"

"Yeah, okay," Then, a familiar silence fell upon them. One where the man didn't want to speak, and where Eren had nothing else to say. It didn't bother him though.

After finishing his sandwich, Eren packed away his container then took out his sketchbook. The man was still eating. Actually, He barely made a dent into the sandwich. _Maybe it really is that bad._

"Uh, sir, if it's really that bad... You don't have to eat it. Just put it in the container and I'll take it back," That really disappointed Eren, and it must have showed on his face because the man shook his head and kept taking small bites. "It's fine,"

"What, you just said it was bad?"

"It's just a jelly sandwich.. no one could fuck that up, kid. It's good," Something glinted in the man's steel eyes before he glanced away and finished eating the sandwich. Eren's lips curled up into a small smile as he tapped his pencil against his sketchbook, he didn't notice the small whip of regret flashing through the strangers eyes.

Eren's eyes eventually shifted to the man's shoes. They were scuffed at the tip, and were looking a bit worn down, more than last time. That made him furrow his brows. Why would a man like him who looked pristine, clean, and well put together, be wearing a pair of old dress shoes? Maybe they were given to him by someone special? No.. then he wouldn't have worn them at all. "Um.. sir? Are those shoes.. special?" The question was stupid, Eren knew as much, but he still asked.

"Hm? These.. well, no. They're not,"

"Then why do you wear them everyday, even though they are worn down?" Maybe it was a question that was too personal to ask a stranger, but Eren was always a curious boy.

"... I suppose they are special then," It was a simple response, and Eren received no other. So he stayed quiet.

A few minutes passed before Eren heard the sound of liquid being guzzled from a bottle. "Do you only drink wine?"

"Hm.. I have the occasional beer. I much prefer wine, though..," He took another sip. "And you prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate?" The man sat the bottle down next to his thigh again and glanced over to Eren, his gaze cold.

"So the brat has a brain. I'm surprised," Even though it served as an insult, Eren found himself laughing lightly. "That wasn't meant to be funny,"

"I know sir, but..,"

"Just go back to drawing or whatever the hell you do- and quit bothering me,"

That definitely shut Eren up. He closed his mouth then glanced back down at his drawings. He hoped to have them in the making process by the next week but..

Wait.. that man was a jerk. He insulted Eren then told him to shut up. But.. the student didn't take offense to it. "You never said I was bothering you before. Don't you like the company?"_ I sure do.._

"No,"

"What?"

"I'd rather be alone,"

After that, the stranger seemed to distant himself from Eren without moving an inch. "But why?"

"Know your boundaries, kid," _Oh_. Right. He was intruding too much. "Sorry sir, I was just curious,"

There was no answer, not even a grunt. Had Eren offended him? Of course.. he spoke too much, as he always did.

The student gnawed his lower lip then decided to go early. He stood up, packed all of his things into his bag and was about to go when the mans voice graced his ears. "Oi,"

"Yeah, sir?"

"Don't forget your container, brat," The words didn't seem as harsh as usual, for some odd reason. So when Eren turned around to take the container the man was holding out for him, he smiled softly. "Thanks,"

"You're welcome,"

The student then left, his umbrella catching the rain that threatened to spill over him.

* * *

"Hey, Armin, you're good in literature right?" The brunette asked once he arrived to school, his umbrella drenched and dripping onto the floor. "Yeah, I'm averaging well… though we don't have our teacher. Mr. Erwin has been a good supply,"

"uh huh, well uh I have this tanka, but I don't know exactly what it's trying to say. Do you think you'd know?" The blond smiled a bit and closed his locker- not mentioning the puddle forming on the floor.

"That depends, what's the tanka?" Eren handed the other boy the piece of paper with words written on them. The blonde took several moments to look over the tanka, his brows knitted together in what seemed to be concentration. "It's missing a part. This is only half the tanka..,"

"Only half….?" _Why would he only say half of it.._

"Yeah. You'll have to find the other half, the response to the first bit. Sorry, I really don't know this one," Eren sighed a bit as they began to walk to class. He'd just leave his umbrella near the vent. His teacher never minded. "Maybe Mr. Erwin would know, ask him when we get to class?"

"Yeah, I'll do that,"

Mr. Erwin did not end up knowing the tanka, though, a familiar glint did flash in his pale blue eyes. It made Eren think that what his principal- or supply teacher at the time -was saying, was not the complete truth.

"You could find a literature book in the library," The tall man had told Eren. "I'm sure there are books that could hold the other half. Now, sit down Eren, class is about to start,"

The conversation ended just like that, but Eren decided he should do as the man had said.

As he sat at his wooden desk next to Armin, his gaze was out the window, fingers lightly tapping against the oakwood. _Only half a tanka… he really is strange.._

* * *

The Third day into Shinganshina's rainy season, rain fell in the morning- as was expected.

Mikasa was still at Annie's, but she had made sure at school the day before that he was alright. Still so overprotective.. even after all those years.

Eren Kept his routine: He woke up to his phone alarm. glanced outside the window for rain, smiled when he saw some, then got ready for school- he even made that extra lunch. Some knew things were slipping into his routine. But, it never seemed to bother him.

He walked to his 'sanctuary'- he'd tend to call it, the rain making soothing music against his umbrella. It was nostalgic, and Eren loved it.

It was becoming part of his routine, to bid a hello to the man wearing dark clothes and scuffed shoes, and that was the exact thing he did when he stepped under the wooden coverage. "Mornin', sir,"

Eren clicked shut his umbrella and set it against the bench so it would drip onto the floor. He then got out his sketchpad and Pencil, though the student didn't really know what to do with them. Everything was planned. He sat down and thought for few seconds, before the stranger replied.

"Good morning," The brunette's eyes shifted back to the other once he spoke, a soft smile on his lips. That morning, the man was wearing those black slacks again, another white dress shirt with a dark blazer over top. Though, tied around his neck was something Eren would assume to be called a cravat, a white one too.

There were no more words exchanged after that. Eren skimmed through his sketchbook, his lips curled up into a soft smile. Everything was.. tranquil.

Though, around fifteen minutes later, Eren heard the man stand up and pop open his gray umbrella. The student glanced up and watch the man , who didn't grab his bag though, which was weird. "Are you leaving?" THe brunette questioned, his sketchbook and pencil set down next to his thigh.

"No. I want to stretch my legs," He looked over to the small pathway that was almost grown over with leaves and flowers. After a moment of analyzation, Eren noticed the pathway lead to another wooden structure, though this one was small and probably could only accompany two people.

"Can I join?" Eren completely forgot about his drawings and looked at the man, waiting for the no.

"Do what you want…," It wasn't a no, surprisingly. Eren smiled softly then stood up and popped open his green umbrella, following the man down the pathway. It was a skinny path, so he had to walk behind the rather short man, but that was alright. He wasn't sure if the man would want him walking next to him anyways.

"Oh, it's near the pond," Eren said, his smile quirking larger. They stood under the wooden structure, still needing the umbrella's over their heads.

The large pond was just a few feet away, the ground sloping down a bit past where the structure ended. It was indeed beautiful.

Overhead, pink flowers grew overtop the wooden structure, some even hung down so they were swaying just above their umbrella's. In the pond there was a family of ducks, swimming in a line to wherever they were headed to- probably to coverage from the rain.

The droplets of rain created ripples in the water and it was just so relaxing to watch.

"You enjoy drawing?" The man suddenly spoke, after a while of admiring. Eren smiled a bit and chuckled. "No- actually. I only draw shoes. And feet,"

The raven haired male raised a slime brow at Eren, who only saw it when he looked over. "I aspire to become a shoe maker. That's why I draw in that book- to make plans for them. I know it's out of date… but it's what I like doing,"

The man grunted in response, and Eren twirled his umbrella between both palms out of habit. He, of course, didn't mean to flick the man with droplets of water, he only realized when the stranger started grumbling about him being a brat. He was just too fidgety.

"Watch it, brat,"

"Oh- sorry sir..," Eren didn't know why, but he started chuckling a bit. it seemed to confuse- or maybe irritate the man- as well.

"Honestly..," After that, they stayed in silence once more, standing there; enjoying the scent of flowers and the tranquil sounds of nature.

The two headed back to the gazebo together in silence, this time Eren was leading the way. It was time for the student to go, so he packed up all of his things.

All but one of the lunches he made. Eren turned towards the stranger, his backpack slung over one shoulder, and handed the container of rice and lentils to the man. "Here. don't worry about the container, it's old anyways,"

It seemed to take the raven haired man a while to accept the offering, but he eventually reached out and took the container in his hands. "You're a generous kid,"

"I guess..," Eren glanced over his shoulder briefly before looking back to the man. "Maybe we'll see eachother again?"

"Perhaps- when it's raining,"

The response rang in Eren's head as he left the park with his deep green umbrella overhead.

_Will you stay here with me?_

_Perhaps- when it's raining._


	4. Dream

"He exists in a world of working adults

so very far from dad..

To me, he represents nothing less than the very secrets of the world"

* * *

Shinganshina's rainy season was a peaceful time. Even as many days past, nothing big really happened. It was like that every year, mostly. Shinganshina was not significant in any way.

Though, to Eren, this rainy season had been different. It was exciting even. That strange man was a mystery that the student found fascinating to get to know and solve. It seemed liked every day they talked a bit more.

On Eren's end, he opened up a bit after the sixth day of the rainy season passed.

But the man, he spoke nothing of himself. It seemed like he kept a protective wall around himself. Eren didn't even know his name, and that irritated him a bit. Though, he understood. Maybe it wasn't practical to tell your name to a stranger, Eren definitely didn't get that memo.

But, after seeing each other almost every day since the season started, could they still count as strangers?

On the seventh day, Eren sat on the bench alone, the patter of rain against the leaves and wooden gazebo were the only means of noise. There wasn't the annoyed voice of the man, it was just the rain. Eren really thought the man wouldn't show up. But, after several minutes passed, he heard the faint footsteps of shoes squelching against the wet ground.

The footsteps approached, and the clicking of an umbrella closing soon followed. The student glanced up from his sketchbook and met gazes with the stranger. "I thought you might've gone to work today," There was a hint of relief in his voice, he was glad the man arrived. His time under the wooden structure wouldn't be the same without the stranger. "It's just luck that you haven't been fired yet,"

The man grunted in response then walked around the back of the bench, stopping just behind Eren. His hands gripped the edge of the wooden bench as he leaned over and took a look at the sketchbooks page, which was full of shoe designs, all of the same pair. "Are these the shoes you're designing? Not bad,"

If Eren hadn't been turning red with embarrassment, and quickly scrambling to shut the book, he would have heard the slight amusement in the stranger's voice. "Hey!" His voice wavered with the word, the book shut and his hands gripping it tightly.

"I can't see?" The strangers perfect brow raised as Eren turned his head to glance at him. The student felt trap with how close they were.

"It's not worth seeing," His voice almost sounded defensive, Eren just didn't want anyone seeing his designs before they were done.

"Really?"

"Yeah really..," Eren let out a breath then turned his head away from the man, gesturing to the empty space on the bench beside him. "Just.. come sit," The student's face returned to the normal tanned colour as the stranger walked around and took a seat on the bench, his legs crossing professionally. Though, there really wasn't anything professional about the setting.

The man set down his bag between them, his umbrella right next to Eren's.

The student glanced over once he placed his sketchbook back into his school bag, and noticed something about the man's bag. It seemed less.. full.

Eren noticed that there weren't as many wine bottles and chocolate bars stuffed inside. He didn't comment on it, though. He found it as a good thing, maybe the man was trying to stop his bad eating and drinking habit? He could only guess. "I didn't have time for breakfast today. Wanna share with me?" It was just a container filled with an array of fruits: Strawberries, oranges, blueberries, and blackberries. They were all good and had Eren's stomach just about ready to do tricks for the treat.

What surprised the brunette, though, was when the man reached into his bag and pulled out a square container and set it on his folded legs. "I brought my own lunch today,"

Eyebrows shot up Eren's forehead in shock, but his look eventually relaxed and a soft smile took over his features. "Really? Then I guess we'll have to share," He didn't wait for a response as he took the container off the man's legs and set it on the bench, lifting the lid.

"Hold on, brat, I'm not a damn chef-" The food inside looked mouth watering, so when he popped the piece of sashimi into his mouth, he didn't expect the crunchy and sour taste. He knew his nose scrunched up, and from the disapproving grunt from the man, Eren knew that he had let the peculiar taste show on his face. Though, he swallowed the piece of fish and smiled in amusement. "I told you I wasn't a fucking chef..,"

"No, it's good, sir," And though he was grinning like cheshire cat, Eren meant what he said. It was special in its own way, the taste was quirky, and he liked that.

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance then took the container back and set it on his lap. "Well, you said we're sharing kid," He gestured over to Eren's container full of fruit. "Pass it over,"

"Don't you want some of my lunch? It's a little more appetizing than fruit,"

"Just give me the damn fruit. Do I have to spell it out to you?" Eren rolled his eyes then handed the container of fruit to the man. "You're really demanding, you know,"

"I might be,"

"Are you-"

"- Don't try to guess my job, you shitty brat," Eren sighed, it was worth the try. He was about to reply but decided to drop it as the man took some fruit from Eren's container, grunting softly in what the boy could have taken as approval. Well.. the fruits were fresh.

"You call me a brat a lot," The student commented as he took another piece of the man's sashimi. It was still quite crunchy and held a strong taste of salt. "That's because you are one,"

"Your cooking is a brat,"

"Dammit, you shit," Eren couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. The man sounded annoyed, but in the depths of those silver eyes, there was amusement. That was not something Eren had seen before inside of that man. It was refreshing. "After how many days.. you're still a fucking brat,"

"Yeah, I am,"

"You are,"

* * *

"Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four," Mr. Erwin commanded, his voice booming through the classroom without him putting much effort into it. He had a natural commanding voice, it appeared.

Eren managed to stay focused enough to flip to the correct page, his eyes skimming over the words.

a faint clap of thunder, clouded skies ...

Wait

The student suddenly had his nose practically buried in the literature book, he was intrigued, looking for what could be the other half of that tanka.. what in the hell could it be..

He had been looking for a week, ever since that man had spoken those perfected words to Eren. He needed to know the response, the other part. Somewhere in his brain, he had managed to convince himself that the man really did make it up himself. But with the proof in front of him, that was not true in the slightest. The tanka was printed onto the page before him, all of it; the ending even. And it was as simple as opening his literature textbook.

His eyes scanned over the page as he took in the words before him, memorizing them, his mouth moving as he mouthed the words. Mr. Erwin was still speaking, though Eren knew the blue eyes were on him. Watching to see his reaction to the words the man just so happened to show him.

When Eren glanced up, he met eyes with his principal, the cornflower blue twinkling with knowing.

"Eren?" It was a soft voice from right next to him, one spoken quietly as if he were trying not to get caught. That was probably what Armin was doing. Eren dropped gazes with Mr. Erwin and tilted his head towards his blond friend. "This is what you were looking for, isn't it?"

Without needing to look, Eren knew Armin was gesturing to the tanka on the page. The words that had been in Eren's mind for several days. "Yeah, that's it," There was relief in his words, and for what, he didn't know. Maybe he really was relieved to dim down his curiousness that had been eating away at him. "I can't believe I didn't look in this book..,"

Armin chuckled quietly to himself. "You're hopeless Eren," He then looked back to the front of the room, and Eren followed his gaze. It was time to pay attention in class again, maybe Mr. Erwin was about to explain the words meaning.

Of course, things were never so easy.

The principal never ended up even speaking about the tanka, rather he paid the most attention to a stupid sounding poem instead. Paying attention was just a big waste of time.

* * *

When he fell asleep to the sound of rain, Eren would dream about a time long ago, when he was small and didn't appreciate, as much, the people surrounding him.

It was always the same dream, one that was filled of happiness that he just couldn't obtain as he grew past the memory. He was with his family of four, his father didn't have his drinkinging problem, his mother was still around, and Mikasa and himself were happy.

The trees blew around in the warm summer hair, sun illuminating the park they walked through. Everything was peaceful, everyone was happy.

Mikasa ran ahead of everyone, leading the way through the parks clearing. Eren followed, a toothy grin taking over his features as he tried to run with a box in his hands, it was hard for the kid since the box seemed larger than his head. But he was determined.

He ran after Mikasa, never tripping or falling or dropping the box, he kept moving fast with his childish determination; that maybe he'd beat his adoptive sister to the bench. Eren didn't, but he took pride in the fact that he beat his mother and father there. "Sit, mom!" The child cheered and just waited in front of the wooden bench until his mother sat.

Carla cracked a soft smiled as she sat down on the bench, her eyes on the boy standing in front of her knees. "What do you have there, Eren?" Of course, she knew what this was all about, but she pretended for the children.

Eren lifted the box up and placed it upon Carla's lap as gently as he could, his hands finding purchase on his mother's knees when his hands weren't full. "Happy birthday mom," The children spoke almost in unison, though Eren ruined it with his excitement. Carla found it heart warming, though.

"I wonder what you all got me.. hmm..," She tapped her chin and smiled as she stalled.

"Come on mom, open it!" Eren was just too excited for his own good, Carla couldn't just couldn't deny him. She pulled the end of the bow then lifted the lid of the box, peering down to see its contents.

Her lips parted when she saw the beautiful blue shoes.

Grisha had made a great find with those shoes, he knew it when he saw the look in Carla's and even Eren's eyes.

They amazed Eren, his eyes shined with wonder.

It might have been then that Eren decided he wanted to be a shoemaker.

He wanted to create shoes that awed people.

Eren was just slowly waking up, when he heard soft words spoken beside him.

"Do you think it's too late for me….," The words were broken, barely spoken in a hushed whisper, and there were no more after them.

When Eren finally opened his eyes, he realized he slept the tenth day away.


	5. Black and White

_"You speak to me so gently,_

_like you're touching something fragile._

_But back then,_

_when I found it hard to even breathe,_

_you only listened to the voices around you._

_You didn't believe me."_

* * *

He stood up from the bench after he was left alone there, the patter of rain soothing the emptiness that seemed to grow without the other there. A loneliness that felt more dark than the one before his visits to the gazebo.. Since when had he started feeling this way? About a snotty high school brat, no less.

A soft sigh passed his parted lips as the man clicked open his umbrella, holding it overhead as he walked out from under the wooden shelter. The walk to his apartment took no longer than ten minutes.

His umbrella shut as he rode the elevator up to the sixth floor, where his residence was.

It was a small apartment, it was cleaned until every surface sparkled and the faint smell of lemon filled the air. The decor was dark and cold, there were no pictures. The whole space seemed to lack any life. But that was how the male liked it. He slipped off his shoes- the ones that indeed were scuffed and worn out -and set them on the small shoe mat. His fingers pulled at the cravat around his neck as he walked farther into the space, heading for the small bedroom.

His back hit the soft mattress of his bed once he got into the room, his gaze on the ceiling. It was just another rainy day in shinganshina.. but the man felt different. He just couldn't describe how, or why.

A buzzing sound interrupted his thoughts after a few moments, his cell phone which he had forgotten that morning was flashing bright on the dark night stand. The man knew exactly who it was, and he really didn't feel like picking up.

Alas, the buzzing eventually annoyed him enough for the man to reach over and pick up the phone. It was who he presumed. What was the point in picking up?

"What do you want?" The mans words were a hiss, they clearly showed his annoyance.

"I see you're in high moods this morning Levi," The mans silver eyes flicked over to the left wall of his small room, rolling in annoyance though the other man could not see it. "How are you feeling?"

There were those four concerned words, spoke softly as if they'd break the man upon impact. They would not, Levi had gotten much stronger than what he was before.. before seeing that brat. "I'm fine," It was not a complete lie, which was rather a good thing. "I can taste the shitty food I make now,"

"So your taste dysphoria is improving then?" Erwin- the man on the other end - seemed to believe the crap Levi spoke.

"Yes. Seeing that I could only taste wine and chocolate just a month ago..,"

"You're healing,"

"I suppose," Healing wasn't the best word. The man stood up from his bed as he held the phone to his ear, and began walking to his small living room.

"That old lady at the park seems to really have affected you Levi. I'm grateful to her," Levi paused as he sat down on the couch. Who was that old lady he was blabbering on about?He grunted in response, until he remembered he had called Eren an old lady, when explaining things to his ex, Erwin. An old lady was just an easier person to talk about.

"So, how are you doing Erwin? How are the wife and kids?" And, as simple as that, the subject was changed.

_He talks to me like.. I'm something fragile._

_as if his words could break me._

_But.. I 'm damn sure they wouldn't._

_Not again._

The man hung up the phone after saying his farewells to Erwin, and he set the device on the edge of the coffee table. When it buzzed once more, Levi made a reach to grab it, but his fingers were clumsy and knocked the phone off the side of the table. He let out an annoyed breath when he heard the impact the cellular device made on the ground. And to god he hoped the screen did not shatter.

Of course, his luck wasn't always golden.

When the man reached down for the phone and flipped it over in his hands, cracks webbed over the dark screen. If he weren't thinking about how impractical buying a new one would be, Levi would have maybe thought the cracked design was beautiful. There were no chips of glass that fell loose, just shallow cracks which circled and curved around the front.

His eyes narrowed a bit as he saw his reflection in the dark screen- had his eyes always been circled with dark patches?

With a slow shake of his head, Levi clicked the on button to the phone and saw it flash up, the clear picture of rain dripping off of the gazebo met his gaze. The phone was cracked and marked by its troubles.

It was strange, how a man could relate to the phone in his hands.

It truly was fate just spitting into his face, wasn't it?

Even with that boy.. Eren. That student who always was thoughtful.. who brought extra food because, for some reason, he cared for a strangers health. Would he and his company somehow circle around and bite Levi in the butt when he least expected it? As with what happened with everything, seemingly, Levi was involved with?

He damn well hoped not, the students company wasn't bad. He was inspiring… the way his eyes almost gleamed when he looked through the sketchbook of his.. or when he talked about his future in shoe making. A kid with so much promise, a student whom seemed to care for Levi.. he wouldn't possibly come with regret.

His fingers raked through his hair as yet another sigh passed his parted lips. Monday would be yet another rainy day.. though the season was indeed coming to a close. And it saddened the man more than he could comprehend. Would he stop seeing the boy once the rained stopped? That would just be god awful.

Just with a tilt of his head, Levi's eyes met with a rather large book that was sitting on the bookshelf on the other side of the room. Wasn't it just a strange thing.. how without him realising it.. he bought such an expensive book because he remembered that brat going on and on and on about it some days ago.. a book about shoemaking.

Maybe with that book, the brat wouldn't forget about Levi.

The shitty fucking brat that made Levi actually want to smile. Oh how would it hurt if the kid forgot about him..

The weekend passed by with Levi just tidying his apartment continuously, picking at his nails as he watched the television, and plenty of hours spent reading some novels. He honestly did uncanny things to get his mind away from chocolate and wine. The brat had inspired him to try and live more healthily, somehow. Though the taste dysphoria he had never seemed to get better.. Levi had given up hope on tasting anything other than chocolate and wine again.

Though it didn't exactly discourage him, he still tried. Monday morning he made himself a nice egg lunch and packed it away into his bag, along with folders of papers and a book. He pulled on his regular attire; white dress shirt, black slacks and blazer with his cravat tied neatly around his neck. Once his fruity breakfast was done, he grabbed his bag and umbrella, walked to the front door, and slipped on his worn out dress shoes. They were nice when he bought them.. though they weren't anymore. It meant something to him though.

His walk to the bus was short, his umbrella was overhead and protected him from the rain. Everything was content. Though, once he was seated on the bus he felt more tense. The air reeked of elders and sweat.. and he knew just how dirty the seats were. But it was what he had to tolerate, everyday.

The decision was in his mind throughout the bus ride, and on his way to the subway. He'd go to work today. He'd do it. Nothing could hold him back.. he knew he could do it. There were no doubts.

But as the subway carts door closed, Levi had not stepped in, and he was left just a few steps behind the yellow safety line. Was he just not ready to face that place again… or maybe.. no. It most definitely was not his yearning to see Eren.

"You're becoming more late everyday," The brat commented with a small smile as Levi approached the gazebo. The rain was heavy, though it was pleasant.

"I never knew we had a specific time to be here at," The man offered as a response as he closed his umbrella and sat on the bench.

"I guess we don't..,"

"Mhm..," The man reached into his bag and grabbed the book he had gotten for Eren.. and hesitated slightly. Why did he bring the book.. when his original goal was to go to work.. what a peculiar thing..

He shook his head a bit then pulled the book out of the bag and handed it over to Eren. "Here, brat, you wouldn't shut up about this damn book.. so maybe this'll make you be quiet..,"

The happy look that gleamed in those green eyes was just astonishing to Levi. He watched as the student gaze over the front side, then the back and sides, his fingers running over the pages. "Oh.. oh wow.. you.. this must have been so expensive..,"

"Damn well it was. But I suppose it was worth it,"

"How much? I'll.. I'll pay you back. Somehow, okay? Oh maybe I could help you make dinner for you sometime, yeah? And maybe teach you how to cook.. would that be enough?"

"Tch. You don't have to pay me back, you never asked me to get this for you," Levi's arms crossed over his chest as his right leg crossed over the other. He watched as Eren's eyes skimmed over the book in his hands, his lower lip pinched between his pearly white teeth. The man saw those grin eyes flash up, with possibly an idea.

"Oh," Eren spoke in a soft voice before his gaze trailed from the book, to Levi's shoes, then to his face. "I'm going to make you a pair of shoes,"

"Pardon?" That really was a shocker to Levi, had he just offered to make him a pair of shoes.. now why was that..

"I'll make you shoes. Since yours.. they're all scuffed. Plus, I owe you so much. This book.. it's honestly what I've been wanting for so long. With this, I can make you a nice pair of black dress shoes, the ones I've been sketching in my book," The man let a moment of silence pass before he sighed softly, his fingers running through his hair.

"You shouldn't,"

"What.. why not? It's really no problem, I'll make them the best pair I've ever done, and they can replace those ones there," Levi hesitated a moment before he reached down and pulled off his right shoe, leaving only his black sock on.

"Look here, brat," He held the shoe in his hand as he gestured to the scuffed toe bit of the dress shoe. "What colour is this?"

"It looks.. grey. But why?" The kid was obviously confused.. though Levi would elaborate.

"And grey is a shade lighter from black, is it not?"

"Uh.. yes it is," Eren's eyes left the shoes and they met Levi's. The silvers were cool, almost like they were clouded over..

"Black is a very arrogant shade, you see. It associates itself with power, as it contains all of the colours. But, I do not want all of those colours. The colours are symbols, they mark all of the stains your journey has caused up until this point. And you see, brat, I do not want all these colours. I want them gone, they must leave. So I am working my hardest to get these shoes back to the pure colour of white. Maybe one day they will get there. Maybe one day.. all these horrible colours will not stain me anymore,"

What the man had said, left a silence between the two. Eren, who was sitting there with his lips pursed and eyebrows narrowed in thought, was just stunned by that. He hadn't expected it.. not at all. Though.. what he was thinking.. was that those shoes could never become purely white again.. once they were painted black.. they were stained forever. "I want nothing more than to make you a pair of shoes, sir, and these shoes won't be black if you don't want.. but how about white? I could make them white for you,"

"Would you do that?" _Would you make me pure again.._

"I will," _I will, I promise that._


End file.
